Crash and Burn
by wallflowerxiii
Summary: Where an annoyingly handsome, cocky, guitar playing, Sora look alike tries to win the heart of our stubborn, beautiful, surfer girl Kairi.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, although I sometimes like to wish I did.

Crash and Burn 

Chapter 1: Who are you?

* * *

Kairi felt utterly bored as she rested her cheek on her hand while leaning her elbow on the table. She could hear Selphie and the guys chatting rapidly in the fading background.Boooring… 

Ever since the Kingdom Hearts incident 4 years ago, she had tried to not distance herself from her small group of friends. It wasn't that she didn't love them because she honestly did. They just didn't seem to understand her.

She looked out the window and watched the waves crash into the sand, and automatically began thinking about surfing, her one true love.

It was her favorite pass time, and she liked to think she was fairly good at it. She was the only one on the island who actually knew how to surf, excluding theOld Man living in the old shack down near the ocean. He owned a shop that sold surfboards. Kairi worked their as a part time job. It was the only other place besides the ocean that felt like home to her.

She was longing to grab her board and catch some waves, but her friends were celebrating something.

_What was it again? Oh right,_ _my birthday._

She glanced down at her watch. 5:45. 6 hours and 15 minutes till she turned eighteen. She grinned wryly. She was born at exactly midnight. She didn't know if that was some kind of omen or sign, and she didn't really care. She just wanted to surf. Badly.

"Hey guys, thanks for throwing this little get together for me, but I really got to go," Kairi said impatiently as she stood up grabbing her possessions (her new gifts)in the process.

They frowned at her. "Aww, come on Kai. This IS in honor of you, you know," Selphie whined.

"I know. But, I, well, I just got to get some fresh air. Maybe surf a little. After all, it IS my birthday," Kairi replied. She didn't mean to sound rude, but did they NOT see those killer waves out there?

Selphie pouted, but in the end let he go. Kairi grinned up at them and made her way out of the small restaurant.

Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus all watched as she dashed out into crowd, and couldn't help but double up in laughter as they witnessed her tripping over a rock and muttering words that they knew were quite inappropriate to herself.

* * *

Kairi stopped by the shack to pick up her board while still mentally cursing the rock that she had ran into only minutes before. 

She stopped herpointless tantrum only to smile at the Old Man, who had greeted her upon entering.

"Hey there Old Man."

He smiled back at her in return. He was wearing his usual overalls and had paint smeared all over himself. He appeared to be working on a new surfboard.

Now Old Man didn't get his name just for the heck of it. He was, in fact, old.Scratch that,he was VERY old,but they couldn't very well call him Very Old Man now could they?He had spiky white hair and a short white beard. Shenever did get the chance to aske himhow he hadpermanentlygotten his hair tostay up like that, but it's been that way ever since she met him, which was ironically 4 years ago.

"Need ya to work tomorrow, missy. 2 o'clock shift?" He inquired.

Kairi nodded her head and went to fetch her board in the back room.

"I'll see ya later, then!" He called out to her as she exited the store, "And Happy Birthday!" he added.

Kairi yelled out her thanks to him and went on her way.

* * *

Kairi breathed in the fresh air of seawater as she reached the shore. Now this was more like it. She had changed her t-shirt and ripped jeans that she had been wearing before to her new violet two-piece that she had gotten from Selphie for her birthday. 

She tied her now long reddish auburn hair into a messy ponytail, and rushed into the ocean. She laid flat down uponher boardand paddled with herarms toward the sunset that was tinged with a scarlet and orange hue.

_Wow. Sunset already?_

If she wasn't mistaken, it would be about 4 hours and 50 minutes or so till she was finally reached 18.

She sawan upcoming wave and stood up just in time to ride through it. She felt herself get lifted with the wave and ran her hand against the water as she glided smoothly on her board.

The day went on like this until she finally grew tired. She was lying on the sand enjoying the cool breeze when she saw it. A wave so huge that it seemed that it could swallow her and the entire island whole.

There was no way she could miss this one. It was beautiful and yet terrifying at the same time.

_The perfect birthday gift._

She took a hold of her board and as if in a trance paddled onward toward the colossal wave.

When it was just about in front of her she stood up.

It could have been the fact that she stood up a second too early or that the wave was 100 time bigger than a normal wave, but after standing up she felt a rush of water pounding into her, drowning her, andblinding her, until she was pushed down beneath the water.

She frantically waved her hands about her in a futile attempt to swim to the surface, and just when she was about to give up and lose all hope, she felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around her waist and lift her above the surface.

She gasped for breath and looked wearily behind her to try andcatch a glimpse of her savior before blacking out.

All she remembered was that he looked a lot like the one person she had been trying to forget for so long.

He looked just like Sora.

* * *

Somewhere far away a clock struck midnight. 

A pair of blue eyes looked sadly upon the full moon.

"Happy birthday, Kairi."

**A/N: **Please read and review and I'll promise you a new chapter by Saturday!

Monkey-woman 108


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, and you would know if I did because, for one, there would have been a nice interesting scene involving Sephiroth, Cloud, and a rabid hyena.

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 2: I Think I'm In Love

* * *

Kairi awoke to a sound of strumming. 

_Where am I?_

She sat up and looked down at herself. She saw that she was still wearing her bikini, but she was also wearing a white shirt that was obviously too big for on top.

She saw that she was lying on a bed, and a comfy one at that. There was a bedside table, and 3 doors. She guessed that one led to a closet, the other to a bathroom, and the last to an exit, but to which was which was beyond her.

She began to look around curiously, and was met with a stunning pair of cerulean eyes. She gasped. The strumming stopped.

_Sora?_

Kairi shook her head and got a better look at the person in front of her.

She noted right away that he was handsome.

_No, not handsome, hot. REALLY HOT._

He had spiky sandy blonde hair and beautiful eyes that were a light shade of blue. He was wearing a pair of worn-out jeans, and held an acoustic guitar in his arms while sitting Indian style a few feet in front of her.

She immediately noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and would have pondered more about that, if he weren't staring at her.

Staring at her just like Sora would've.

Kairi might have been through a lot in her teenage life, but she was still, in fact, a teenager, a teenage girl for that matter, but unlike other teenage girls who would have jumped him right after seeing him without a shirt, she completely dismissed the fact that there was hot and shirtless guy sitting right in front of her.

Because in Kairi's case, she didn't see a hot, shirtless guy in front of her.

She saw Sora.

And Kairi, after being deprived of her friend's presence for too long, did the only thing she remembered how to do at the moment.

She stood up, ran over, and hugged the daylights out of him.

'Sora' didn't seem bothered by this; in fact, he actually seemed to be enjoying himself and grinned.

Kairi, still not aware of that small, little detail that made Sora and this unknown guy apart, continued hugging him as if he would disappear the moment she let go.

After a minute or two of this hugging session, 'Sora', according to Kairi, did the stupidest thing he could have possible done at the time.

He spoke.

"If this is how you greet people who save your life, then man, I'd like to be your knight and shining armor any day."

Not only was that the most cheesiest pick-up line she had ever heard, but also it also made her realize that the person she was hugging wasn't Sora.

Kairi instantly jumped back from the embrace and gave him another look over.

He sure did look like Sora, but more of a washed-out version. He had a lighter shade of hair and eyes.

That's when realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"If you didn't know me in the first place, why'd you hug me back?" She demanded angrily.

He shrugged.

"Well I couldn't very well refuse a hug from a gorgeous lady like yourself now could I?"

Kairi blushed slightly, but then immediately afterwards fumed.

He stood up maneuvered his guitar strap to wrap around his stomach so that his guitar would be at his back.

She glared up at him.

He grinned happily in return.

"I don't see what the problem is. Aren't you happy that you even got the chance to be saved by a handsome young gentlemen like myself, and as an added bonus, hug me?"

Kairi snorted.

"Yeah, sure, and because of my so-called happiness, I'm going to leave you now and hope that I never see you again!"

With that said, she turned her back to him and headed toward the door that she believed to be the exit, and unfortunately ended up in a bathroom.

_Great, just great. Let's just hope he doesn't come –_

Too late.

The Sora look alike entered in after her and closed the door behind him.

_What did I ever do to deserve this?_

In her mind she began confessing all of the sins she had committed in hopes of her luck turning.

…_And I'm sorry for the time I went into the Boy's Restroom when I was 4! It was out of mere curiosity! No harm done! I mean how else was I going to be able to confirm my theory on how boys do, in fact, have cooties?_

Her mind rambling paused due to the fact that the Sora look alike had began staring at her again.

She shivered.

"Umm… Can I go now?" Kairi asked nervously.

How could she not be nervous? She WAS stuck in a bathroom with a very hot, shirtless guy and he just happened to be blocking the door. What would Sora and Riku think of her now?

The guy looked kind of lost when he looked at her though, like he didn't know what to do.

So, Kairi took matters into her own hands.

She began to move pass him to the door when suddenly, she clumsily tripped over herself and landed on his chest. He reacted out of pure reflex and caught her, hugging her tightly to him.

They fell roughly against the door of the bathroom and got tangled up in some wires from the blow dryer that was irresponsibly place on the floor.

They laid there for a moment in silence.

Guess who broke it?

"If you're not so keen on hugging me, why are we in this position once again?" The mystery guy whispered in her ear.

Kairi, for a moment, saw that she was at a lost for words, but then quickly snapped back.

"It's not like I enjoy being in this position, thank you very much!"

He smirked down at her.

"It's okay. You don't have to think of it as a bad thing. Not many can resist my captivating charms."

Kairi scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Well aren't you arrogant," she stated dryly.

He grinned.

"That hurts, babe, it really does." He replied in mock pain.

She rolled her eyes, and they were back to where they started.

Silence.

The Sora look a like looked down at her.

"What's you're name anyway?" He inquired.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but unwillingly gave it to him.

"It's Kairi, what's yours?"

He looked taken back for a second, and answered just a little too quickly.

"It's… Tai!" He blurted out.

Kairi frowned. For some reason she felt as if he was lying. Her eyes furrowed in thought.

_But why should he?_

Tai began to sit up making her do the same in the process.

He began unwinding the wires around them causing Kairi to press deeper in his chest.

She blushed lightly.

Tai seemed oblivious to the fact and continued to unwind.

When they were finally untangled, Kairi was the first to get up. She brushed imaginary dust off herself and unruffled her shirt.

She bolted out the bathroom and picked another door, which luckily turned out to be the right one this time.

She paused and turned to look at him.

"I've got to go," she said hurriedly.

Tai casually ran his hand through his hair and smirked.

She was honestly beginning to hate that smirk.

"Aww. Don't you want to stay with me?" He asked jokingly.

Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Psch. You wish," she retorted as she exited the room.

Tai stood there silently with an unreadable expression on his face, and turned to look back at the bathroom where they just were.

He blinked and cocked his head to the side.

"I think I'm in love."

* * *

Kairi ran out of the shack and paused to take a breath. 

She looked back at the place she had just ran out of, and glanced about her.

She saw that it was a small yet cozy shack, but where exactly was she? She could tell that she was still somewhere on Paopu Islands, but the area seemed unfamiliar to her, which was weird seeing as how she clearly remembered that Riku, Sora, and her had explored the entire islands.

She momentarily shrugged and decided to take a look around.

She walked toward the ocean, which was directly in front of the shack. From here she could see the restaurant that she was just eating at a few hours…-

_What time was it?_

The sun was shining brightly and the ocean shimmered.

_Oh crap._

A seagull cawed loudly.

_She was so dead._

* * *

**A/N: I DO NOT KNOW HIS REAL NAME OK? **sry...REVIEW!

Monkey-woman108


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Remember that thing that was written right here in the last two chapters? … Oh? You don't? In this exact spot? Still no? … Oh well shame on you… rawr… ok…the oh so wonderful popular disclaimer…. I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!

**Crash and Burn **

Chapter 3: Not Again

* * *

After arriving home and being bombarded with worried questions from the mayor, her keeper and wanna-be father, and his wife, who only married him for money, Kairi lay exhausted on her bed. 

Thoughts of a certain look-alike surfaced.

Kairi was curious as to who he was, why she had never seen him before, and why he looked so much like her best friend.

These ponderings remained until she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Next Day… 

Kairi awoke to the disturbing sound of Tidus and Wakka singing 'My Girl' at the foot of her bed.

"_I've got sunshine on a cloudy day," _Tidus started.

"Y'all… STOP SING-" Kairi was cut off by Wakka in the next verse.

" When it's cold outside, I feel the month of May, ya." 

Kairi tried covering her head with her pillow trying to block out their horrible singing.

"_I guess you'd say, 'What can make me feel this way'," _They sang extra loudly in unison.

Kairi sat up and glared menacingly at the two guys in front of her.

"_My girl, MY GIRL, **MY GIRL!**"_ They continued.

Oh how they will pay.

"_Talking 'bout my girlll! My-_AHHH," They were stopped by a very annoyed Kairi who tackled them to the ground.

They lay there laughing until Kairi spoke up.

" Do y'all know how badly you guys sound?"

* * *

Kairi brushed her long hair contently after the comical events that had occurred that morning and grinned at herself in mirror. 

Her reflection grinned back.

It was the first day of school, and she was supposed to make a good impression like Selphie had told her to do earlier that week.

That included:

Nice clothes, pretty smile, cute hairstyle, and sociable personality.

Kairi sighed.

She was wearing her favorite faded jeans and white tank top, not exactly the nicest clothes, but hey, they were cute and they were comfortable.

Her beautiful reddish-auburn hair was down and went to her mid-back. It looked presentable.

As for her smile and personality, Kairi snorted and went to pick up her bag from the floor before exiting her house.

They just had to deal with them.

* * *

Kairi met up with her friends at the school's entrance. _**Paopu High**_

She looked disdainfully at the tall building towering them.

This was going to be SO much fun.

They entered and were greeted by various students and fellow islanders. Kairi smiled back at them in return.

"Hey, Kairi," Tidus nudged her urgently. "Is that who I think it is?"

Kairi looked over in the direction Tidus was looking at and groaned.

_Not him._

He was surrounded by girls and was casually leaning against the lockers.

_Not here._

He looked up locking eyes with her and started to grin like a madman.

Kairi felt her eyes widen and grabbed her friends' arms. "We've got to go, NOW!" she said hurriedly.

They looked at her questionably, but began moving on along with her.

But it was too late.

"Why hello there, beautiful!" He greeted enthusiastically. "Funny seeing you here."

Kairi glared at him while still trying to find an escape route.

Why are so many people crowding us! 

Tai leaned down and put his hand near his ear, "I don't seem to have heard a hello."

Kairi rolled her eyes and almost cried out in relief when she saw an opening through the crowd of students and began making her way through it with her friends at hand, but was once again stopped by the ever so annoying Tai.

"Whoa, there. No need to be in rush."

Kairi gave a defeated sigh and turned to face him.

"As a matter of fact, yes I do."

He raised a brow. "And why would that be?"

Kairi stared angrily at him. "I don't need to tell you, now do I?"

He smirked playfully at her. "I'm just worried about you, don't want you drowning again now do I?"

"Drowning sounds rather nice at the moment," she retorted.

Tai gave a mock gasp and put one of his hands to his heart, "Oh why must you hurt me so, fair maiden?"

Kairi rolled her eyes once more and pushed passed him, "Idiot."

Her friends followed after her. This time Tai remained where he was in the crowd of students. He was still smirking, though.

_Oh how I would love to wiped that smirk off his face._

* * *

Kairi entered the auditorium while trying her best to answer her friends' questions without mentioning anything too embarrassing, which was pretty hard considering the events that took place that night. 

After the brief interrogation, they all sat down on the chairs that were placed all around the room surrounding the stage.

When the auditorium was filled, the mayor himself came on to the stage and greeted them loudly.

"Hello students, and welcome to another glorious year in Paopu High!"

All the students seemed to have rolled their eyes on that one.

"Now usually I would be giving you the speech of the year, but this year, I would like my 'daughter', Kairi, to say it."

Kairi's eyes widened.

_I don't remember anything about a speech._

He motioned for her to stand up. She frowned at him before reluctantly standing and making her way to the front.

The mayor handed her the mike and smiled at her proudly. She glowered at him.

He gave her a sheet of paper on which to read from and left the stage.

Kairi looked at all her classmates as they stared back at her.

There was a random catcall.

She turned to see who made it and caught the eyes of Tai who was watching her amusingly and narrowed her eyes at him before continuing where the mayor left off.

"Ok then. This year will be a little different then before…" Kairi paused suddenly while looking disbelievingly at the paper.

"…Students will have a special project that is to be completed before the end of the year."

There were groans from the crowd.

"You will be receiving a partner that is to be chosen by a drawing. This drawing will be made after this assembly. Form an orderly line in the cafeteria."

She raised a brow at the paper. Orderly line? Yeah right.

"You and your partner will have to create a story. This story can be a book, movie, anything you wish that is 'appropriate'." Kairi made quotations with her hands.

The students grinned at each other.

"Now, it is my honor to release you all and begin the school year."

There was a long dramatic pause filled with anticipation.

"YOU ARE RELEASED!" Everyone stood up and began pushing each other to reach the exits.

Kairi stepped off the stage and met up with her friends.

"Great speech, Kai," Tidus said.

Selphie was jumping up and down. "Ooooo! I sure hope I get a cute guy!" she exclaimed.

Kairi turned her head slightly to the side to catch Tidus frowning slightly.

_Ahhh, young love…_

She grinned.

"I'm sure Tidus here would love to volunteer," Kairi stated as she nudged him with her elbow.

He glared at her and received a tongue getting stuck out at him in return. _'Payback'_ she mouthed at him.

Selphie only stared at them oblivious as they finally reached the exit and lined up in the cafeteria with the other students.

* * *

After waiting in line for what seemed like hours, it was their turn. 

In front of them was a booth of some sort. What you had to do was press your hand on the hand mark and a slip of paper will come out with your partner's name.

They stood staring at it.

Kairi sighed and went first. She placed her hand on the hand mark and waited patiently.

Please don't let it be Tai, please anyone but him! 

Somewhere God was laughing. A slip of paper shot out.

On it was a name.

_Tai Hiwatari._

**

* * *

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! I NEED TO REACH THE TWO-DIGITS! **

Monkey-woman108


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: ...haha no

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 1: Leave Me Alone

* * *

Kairi knew the moment that she read the paper that she was in trouble. Any second now he would be running after her. 

She looked left and right. No sign of him yet.

She had 3 minutes to get to her homeroom. She had little hope that she could make it without running into any trouble, though.

Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie had already been matched up and left for their classes.

Selphie and Tidus were paired up together, and Tidus was ecstatic. Wakka had been paired up with their resident goth, Lulu Mage. He didn't seem too bothered with it; in fact, she had seen him smiling when he had received his partner.

She exited the cafeteria and made her way down the hall in search of her homeroom.

_Room 109_

There was a loud sound of a locker slamming.

_Room 109_

Footsteps were heading her way.

_109109109109_

She felt a tap on her shoulder and quickly turned around while holding her breath. She immediately grinned when she caught sight of her pursuer.

It was none other than Xale, a dangerous looking flame-haired rebel who she had come across when exploring the Secret Place 2 years ago.

Their meeting was the last time she ever visited the old cavern.

Xale, as usual, was wearing his trademark leather trench coat. He flashed her a grin before walking beside her silently.

She had always wondered why he wore such clothing when it was so hot and sunny outside, but never commented on it. The truth was, he looked good in it and was probably the only person she knew who could pull off the look.

"What room do you have," He inquired.

"Room 109, you?"

He withdrew his schedule from his pocket. It was already crumbled up and torn in many places. Kairi rolled her eyes. Typical Xale.

"Room 101," He replied with a frown.

Kairi grinned, "Ahh, 101, you know what that means."

He glared at her and then at the paper in his hands. " Great, I get the whacked-out wannabe samurai."

"…Who happens to still hold a grudge against you for writing those… lovely messages on his chalkboard during detention last year," Kairi added. "What were they again? Oh! Right. Somewhere along the lines of, 'MR. AURON MOLESTED ME IN THE HALLWAY!"

Xalegrinned at her,and threw his schedule over his head purposely hitting Kairi in the head while doing so.

She growled at him angrily.

He merely smirked and gave her a light pat on the head before running off in the direction of his classroom.

"That's right you coward! Run away!" She called after him.

He waved back at her without turning around.

Kairi mumbled under her breath before glancing at the clock located on the wall ahead of her.

She groaned inwardly.

The clock read 8:00, in other words, she was late.

* * *

After finally finding her classroom, she took a deep breath and prayed that her homeroom teacher was lenient on the first day although she doubted it. 

She opened the door slowly, and as she did so, the noise level in the room lowered as everyone turned to look at her.

She immediately looked at her new teacher and raised a brow.

Shehad blood-red eyes and grayish silver hair that was cut in a very boyish manner. Her entire outfit consisted of black leather. Kairi smiled to herself; Xale would love her.

Her new teacher nodded at her in acknowledgement. "You're late."

"Sorry," was Kairi's only response. She didn't want to explain herself and didn't feel the need to.

Her teacher looked like she was about to smirk.

"Sit down. I'm Paine, your new teacher."

Kairi looked at her fellow classmates in search of an empty seat. She took the one that was near the window.

_Thank God! No Tai!_

As she thought that the door busted open and in came Tai, the source of all of Kairi's annoyance.

Kairi groaned and hit her head on the desk.

_NOOOOOOO! Just when things were turning up, the idiot comes through the door._

Tai grinned sheepishly at Paine and was ordered to take a seat. He looked over at everyone and smirked upon seeing Kairi, who was face down on her desk.

Kairi peaked out from under her arms at the desks near her and almost screamed in frustration when she saw that there was an empty seat beside her.

_Please don't sit thereee!_

Her silent plea went unnoticed as he walked towards her and gave her slight grin. She scowled in return and turned to glare at the person's head in front of her.

"Hello partner!" He greeted enthusiastically.

Kairi continued to glare ahead.

Paine began her speech about what is to be expected from them, but it seemed as though no one was paying attention. In the end, she quit in the middle and sat at her desk and began writing something.

Throughout the rest of the class, Tai kept giving suggestions on what to do for their project while Kairi either was tapping her pencil on her desk or banging her head continuously on her desk.

Tai didn't seem to notice.

"…Ooooo! A story about a fish that got lost and the father has to find him! We can call it Finding Flodo!"

Kairi gave a murderous glare at him. That was the last straw.

"WE ARE NOT DOING A STORY ABOUT A FISH, WE ARE NOT SINGING A SONG ABOUT PURPLE EATING MONSTERS OR KING HENRY VIII, NOR ARE WE DOING A MOVIE ABOUT A BLUE ALIEN AND HISHAWAIIN FAMILY!"

Everyone stopped what he or she was doing to turn and stare at her. She glared at all of them, and slouched in her seat.

After a while, everyone returned to their previous engagements, while Tai looked at her expectantly.

"What?" She snapped.

He smirked. "We could always do a story on you and me." He nudged her suggestively.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you, me and how I 'accidentally' murdered you," She muttered under her breath.

Tai didn't seem affected by her comment at all. "Well, then what do you really want to do?"

She shrugged and rested her face on her hand while gazing out the window. She began thinking of her memories of her Riku and Sora, specifically one of Sora.

She turned to Tai who was staring at her. His beautiful cerulean gaze made her freeze for a moment. Why did he have to stare at her like that? He looked so much like Sora just then.

Sora.

She paused and furrowed her brows while looking back out the window.

_Sora._

She didn't realize her mouth was moving until she heard words coming out.

"We'll write a story of a boy who was given a destiny that would separate him from his friends and force him to grow up. His journeys through different worlds would change various people and ultimately save everything and everyone from drowning into darkness.

Kairi didn't notice Tai closing his eyes in pain and continued.

"We'll call it, Kingdom Hearts."

**

* * *

A/N: Thanks for all of you faithful reviewers! I'm sorry for the delay. **

Monkey-woman 108


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Yeah…righhhtt…

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 5: He's Just an Idiot

* * *

When Kairi finally snapped out of her trance, she immediately turned to see Tai's reaction to her idea.

_If it even was my idea…_

He had a distant faraway look in his eyes and looked as if he was about to throw up.

She furrowed her brows.

But before she could comment, the bell rang for classes to switch and Tai left the room without saying a word.

It was a curious act considering that Tai, of all people, made it.

She shrugged grabbed her stuff and began to leave the classroom after everyone else.

_Why should I care anyway?_

Her new teacher stopped her before she reached the door.

"Hey, kid."

Kairi turned to look over at her curiously.

Paine frowned at her as if debating whether or not she should say anything and bit her lip.

Kairi raised a brow and waited for a further comment, but she didn't get one. Her new teacher just shook her hand and waved her off.

Kairi shrugged and continued her way onto her next class.

She looked down at her schedule.

_All right then, new class Take 2. Room 101._

Kairi bit back a grin.

_Well, lucky me, I get samurai man, too._

She wondered if Xale survived as she entered the classroom.

She narrowed her eyes instantly after seeing bleach blonde hair and teal eyes.

_Tai._

It wasn't as if she didn't suspect this. For some reason, she had a feeling that her entire day was going to be filled with cliché happenings.

She just particularly hated the idea of having to share more than one class with an insufferable idiot.

It wasn't long till he caught sight of her and grinned. She cocked her head to the side.

He sure had weird mood swings. She could have sworn that he was looking slightly gloomy before.

She looked at his choice of company and snorted.

He was surrounded by a sea of raving girls, all who had unusual fixations with his hair.

_He's probably enjoying himself._

Kairi glared at him and took a seat in the very back row, far, far, away from him.

* * *

Tai immediately sensed her before she came into the room. He didn't know how he was able to, but it probably had something to do with the air that she carried about her.

It was always serene, beautiful, and for some reason, sad.

He knew that her friends didn't notice this; she was very good at keeping it hidden.

But it was all too obvious to him.

She had small habits that betrayed her hidden emotion.

1. She always gazed out the window with a distressed look upon her face, as if she was trying to forget something. He was curious as to what that was.

2. She never opened up and always commented sarcastically to avoid uncomfortable discussions.

3. Lastly, and most importantly, she never smiled. He had NEVER seen her smile. Sure, there was the occasional satisfied grin here and there. Toss in a couple of smirks and there you have it. But there had not once been a time where he had seen a genuine smile.

He was determined to change that.

Now, I know what you're thinking. How could this guy know all that in just two days?

Well, the truth is, he had been watching her even before they had met face to face.

He first saw her when he had just arrived to the islands.

It was raining.

She was dressed in a long-sleeved black sweater and had light jeans. She didn't notice the dreadful weather, on account of her singing.

He didn't recognize the song, but he could have cared less.

Her voice was beautiful.

The lyrics were beautiful.

The melody was beautiful.

_**She **was beautiful._

As he stood there watching, he was immediately captivated.

There was obviously something special about her, but to what it was he didn't know.

* * *

The bell rang and he was snapped out of his thoughts. He turned to look at her and found her speaking to their new teacher.

She had a smirk on her face, and he was frowning.

Tai walked up to them and put a grin on his face.

"Hey there!" he greeted.

Kairi instantly groaned.

_Not the idiot, anything but the idiot._

She turned to look at her new teacher, pleading him to make him go away.

He smirked at her.

Kairi scowled.

_Thanks a lot Auron._

Auron nodded his head at Tai and slouched back in his desk watching them amusingly.

Kairi turned to look at her partner, the scowl still evident on her pretty face.

"What's with this no greeting thing, huh?" Tai asked.

She didn't answer.

He pestered on.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to greet people with a nice 'hello' every so often."

She only glared.

"And speaking wouldn't kill anybody either."

Kairi stared at him longingly.

_If only it could._

"Aww… come on! Why aren't you talking to me?" He whined childishly.

She rolled her eyes at his childlike display. "Did it ever occur to you that I just might not like you very much?"

He cocked his head to the side.

"No."

Kairi muttered under her breath and turned to leave the room. Tai went with her.

Auron raised an eyebrow at the two, shrugged, and went back to his work.

Kids sure did have major issues now and days.

* * *

They were walking down the hall, heading to the lunchroom.

Oh, did I forget to mention lunch?

As they entered the cafeteria, they could see various students strewn out amongst the tables.

Now is the time to explain the cliques.

There isn't any.

You're either liked or your not liked. No one has the right to judge you. No one cared, that is, no one did until today.

Kairi could see that she was quickly forming enemies with the female populationof the school and quickly sidestepped away from Tai and headed toward her friends who were located near the windows.

And yes, its true, Kairi had a window fetish.

Tai stood there watching after her before he was pulled by the arm to a group of awestricken girls.

He sighed and waved at them sheepishly.

One of them fainted.

"So how are you and lover boy over there?" Selphie asked gesturing toward the poor boy that was being attacked by screeching girls and winced.

Kairi didn't look back at him. "He's just as annoying as ever."

Wakka looked back at Tai and cringed when his fan club cornered him against the wall.

"I think you should give him a chance, ya?"

Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding me? Me and him? Him and me?" She asked pointing to herself than at the boy running around the cafeteria.

Tidus nodded thoughtfully.

"I agree. When IS the last time you went on a date?" Someone kicked him in the shin.

"OWW!"

The table suddenly went quiet and stared at Kairi.

Her eyes were downcast.

Xale narrowed his eyes at her and then at the pathetic guy that was being mobbed across the room.

"Just leave her alone."

Everyone then turned to look at him.

Kairi looked up.

Xale shrugged at them. "She seems pretty ok for someone who doesn't have a significant other to accompany her."

Selphie raised and eyebrow.

"Is that what they call boyfriends now and days?"

Kairi smirked at Tidus at the mentioning of boyfriends.

His eyes were huge as he gazed up at Selphie, the object of his affection.

Selphie, as usual, stared blankly at him.

Kairi then turned her eyes to Xale. He was glaring at Tai who was in quite a predicament after losing one of his shoes and was now jumping up and down.

She frowned slightly.

_What's up with him?_

She brushed it off as unimportant and finished her meal.

Lunch was soon over. It was time for study hall, in other words, more aggravating suggestions about talking animals and inanimate objects.

She rolled her eyes.

_Whoopee flippin' doo_

**

* * *

A/N: HEY EVERYBODY! THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORTIVE REVIEWS!**

_Please REVIEW! _

Monkey-woman 108


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Oh! Let's pretend I do actually own Kingdom Hearts….ok….fantasy time is over.

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter Five: It's Only the First Day of School

* * *

Now, for a special insert from Kairi's first day of school terror… 

How to avoid talking to an unbearably annoying idiot in 3 short steps.

**First: Be VERY, VERY sneaky**

Kairi slipped out of the cafeteria a few minutes before everyone else did. She walked slowly down the halls taking extra care to not make unnecessary run-ins with a few undesirable acquaintances.

She looked both ways instinctively and hit herself when she realized that she had been doing that way too much lately.

She stopped and glared down at her feet.

_Why should I be afraid of running into him? I could totally take him on if the time comes. It's not like he had much to protect himself with._

Kairi thought back to when they first met. No shirt. Great abs.

She shook her head.

_Ok, so he's hot and fit. That doesn't mean that I can't take him on._

She nodded her head with a defiant look in her eyes. Tai won't know what hit him. He had already ruined her ordinarily boring lifestyle in just a few days.

She walked on.

It took a few steps forward before she realized how she described her lifestyle in the first place.

**Warning: Don't walk down school hallways thinking too hard. YOU COULD GET HURT.**

Students began to fill the empty spaces around her as she continued trudging toward study hall.

That's when a thought hit her.

She had no idea where her study hall was.

Kairi could have hit herself for her stupidity and took out her schedule.

_Study Hall: ANYWERE _

She looked at it again, and twice after that.

Anywhere?

What was her 'father' thinking? Did he not know what could happen when he doesn't specify the location of study hall?

She looked to the left and saw students running out of the building heading towards the beach.

She sighed and went to join them.

Apparently not.

**Second: When being freed from the cruel confinements of school, run home immediately. Do not go to the beach! I repeat, DO NOT GO TO THE BEACH!**

Kairi, obviously not bothering to read this 3-step manual (forget the fact that she can't), grabbed her board from the shack and went off to ride some serious waves.

When she reached the edge of the ocean, she slid off her jeans and took off her shirt revealing a white bikini suit.

Ignoring half of the male population that was gawking at her, she laid flat on her board and paddled forward.

Meanwhile, with 'the idiot'…

Tai, unbeknownst to Kairi, was following her all the while grinning like the madman that he was.

He had stopped when she showed off her swimsuit and gawked with the rest of the guys that witnessed the amazing gesture.

Before Kairi had paddled off, he entered the shack he had seen her come from before and was met with a fierce gaze that ironically came from a short, old man.

They stood there silently for a moment.

Old Man glaring while Tai grinned sheepishly.

It was not long before Tai spoke up.

"Can I rent a board?"

Old Man peered up at him with an unblinking stare.

"You were following her."

Tai blinked and nodded slowly.

"You've been doing that a lot lately haven't you?" Old Man inquired.

Tai raised a brow and continued to nod.

"You do realize that you greatly resemble one of her close friends from 4 years ago, don't you?"

Tai's eyes widened slightly and he quickly shook his head 'no'.

How did he…?

"His name was Sora, but I do believe you know that already don't you?" Old Man continued with his rant.

Tai narrowed his eyes and spoke clearly without blinking.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Old Man merely scoffed and turned around to face the window that overlooked the ocean. He caught sight of a certain beautiful surfer.

"Take care of her."

Tai looked down at him and nodded his head, his grave mood disappearing as he smiled.

"Don't worry, I've saved her life before, I'll be darned if I don't do it again."

He turned to stare out the window as well. There she was.

"Her heart's been broken one too many times. I trust you understand that." Old Man added.

"I know."

They stood there silently again, but this time with content looks on their faces.

It wasn't until Tai spoke that their little moment was broken.

"How come you own a shop that sells surf boards when Kairi and you are the only ones that can ride them? Isn't that a little weird? Selling surfboards of all things when you KNOW that no one will buy any, OLD MAN."

Old Man rolled hisvibrant Makoeyes.

"Oh, just grab a surfboard and go, TAI."

* * *

**Third: If you know you are being pursued by the idiot, KEEP PADDELING!**

Kairi had just stood up on her board and was riding the wave with elegance and grace.

How could she have know that just a few meters back a certain blonde was attempting to surf along with her?

Tai had sat down on the sand staring at the board in front of him.

_This can't be too hard. Get on board. Ride wave._

He stood up and walked into the ocean with the board under his arm. When he was about a few feet deeper, he maneuvered himself to sit on the board.

_Now what?_

Kairi had long since returned to the edge of the ocean and was about to paddle forward once more when she caught sight of Tai, who was far off into the ocean sitting on his surfboard.

She raised a brow.

_Does he even know how to surf?_

She was beginning to paddle forward to witness the comical sight more closely, when she saw a colossal wave coming toward him.

She looked from the wave to Tai.

_You've got to be kidding me._

Tai was laying flat on his back whistling.

_My evil side tells me to leave him alone, and my good side agrees._

But when she looked at him, she suddenly saw Sora and how she was never able to save him.

Kairi furrowed her eyebrows.

_I'll never hear the end of this._

And with that, she swam forward as fast as she could and tackled him down into the water.

* * *

A/N: REVIEW PLEASE! thank you!

Monkey-woman 108


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is an annoying, exasperating, irritating, infuriating, frustrating disclaimer stating that I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS.

**NOTE/ XALE: There is a reason why I changed his name. You'll see soon enough.**

**NOTE/BHK: I heard of a rumor saying that BHK's name is actually Roxas. Don't worry! If you recall from when he introduces himself. He seems to be lying about his real name, anyway.**

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 7: True Feelings?

* * *

Tai woke up with a killer headache.

_What the heck did I drink last night?_

He shifted himself to sit up and felt a body next to him.

His eyes widened.

_What the heck!_

He looked more closely at his bed companion and saw red-auburn hair.

_Pretty hair. Very pretty hair. I want to touch it._

He reached out his hand, but before he was able to run his hands through soft silky hair, a thought struck him.

_Wait a second._

He lifted the blanket covering her face and his jaw dropped.

_I'M IN BED WITH KAIRI?_

He did a double take.

When he finally confirmed the identity of his bedmate, he lifted his fist in the air in mock victory and gave himself a pat on the back.

_Go me!_

As he was congratulating himself, he looked around the room. His eyes landed on a surfboard that was leaning against the wall opposite of him.

That was when it all came back to him.

_Kairi saved my life?_

He looked down at her and smiled at her angelic expression.

_Wow…she's my hero. I should thank her, but first I've got to find out how we even got on this bed together._

His eyes widened in horror.

_How will I be able to explain to her that I had nothing to do with the sleeping arrangement without getting accused of lying and then getting killed?_

He pondered over this for a while and then shrugged.

_Might as well enjoy my last moments living._

He put his arms around her and inhaled her scent.

_She smells like the beach and roses._

He placed his head on the crook of her shoulder, grinning.

_Methinks I should cuddle more often._

They stayed like this for a while. He didn't want to go back to sleep.

He wanted to make this moment last.

Just then he heard her voice.

He winced.

_Here we go._

"Sora?"

Tai frowned.

He held onto her even tighter.

* * *

Kairi felt unbearably nauseous when she became conscious, but at the same time, quite comfortable.

_What the heck did I drink last night?_

She tried to open her eyes, but it was too bright.

She groaned as she tried to sit up and was shocked to find that she couldn't. That's when she felt the arms that were securely fastened around her waste.

She blinked her eyes open, winced at the light, and looked to see what was holding her down.

The first thing she saw was spiky hair.

"Sora?" She asked groggily.

There was a slight movement in the person next to her before she felt the arms around her tighten.

"Nope. Try again."

Kairi panicked and rubbed her eyes hastily.

_Please don't be who I think it is!_

She opened her eyes and screamed like a mad woman.

"TAI?"

At the sound of his name he blinked lazily at her and grinned.

"Good morning, sunshine!"

Kairi pushed him away from her, missing his hurt look, and sat up.

"What the heck are you doing in bed with me!"

Tai looked at her innocently. "Well you see, when a man and a woman…"

Kairi didn't even wait for him to finish before she screamed her lungs out.

"OH MY GOD! WE DID WHAT?"

She grabbed her pillow and began smacking him in the head continually.

Tai was frantically waving his hands in an effort to stop her.

"I was just kid-!"

Kairi ignored him and cut him off by hitting him even harder causing the pillow to explode and a blanket of white feathers to surround them.

Just then, the door busted open, and in came Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Xale, and Old Man.

They all stopped when they saw the scene in front of them.

Kairi and Tai stared at them with their eyes wide in surprise. The feathers were still floating around them.

The new comers stared at the two in shock.

Selphie blinked, bit her lip, and began laughing loudly and wildly.

Tidus and Wakka followed her and fell to the ground comically.

Xale glared while Old Man merely chuckled.

Kairi was first to react by looking down in horror at Tai and realized the awkward position they were in.

She was on top of him straddling his waist. Her hands still held the pillow above her head, mid-strike.

Tai caught her stare and smirked slyly.

He grabbed her by the waist, pulling him down on top of him, and sat up with her on his lap.

He turned to the people at the door and looked at them angrily.

"Can't you see we're busy?"

Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka stopped laughing and stared at them along with Old Man.

Xale was blazing in anger. His fists were clenched at his side. He was looking pretty red at the moment.

Kairi snapped out of her daze of confusion and pushed him away from he while blushing madly.

Tai continued to smirk.

Selphie clapped her hands together in delight and squealed happily.

"It worked."

Kairi fought her blush back down and narrowed her eyes at he friend.

"What worked?"

Selphie stopped squealing and looked at her nervously.

"Err…Well…ummm…you see, we…Uhh…" she trailed off.

Tidus cut in and rescued her, "We kind of…ummm…tried to set you up with Tai…"

Wakka nodded his head worriedly.

Kairi tried to come down. She breathed in and out. It wasn't working.

She glowered at her friends. "And you thought you could accomplish this by putting him in the same bed as me?"

Selphie nodded meekly.

"Don't be mad, Kai, we just, wanted you to, you know…"

Kairi frowned. "As a matter of fact, I DON"T know. So please, enlighten me!"

Wakka stayed quiet.

Tidus spoke up. "We wanted you to get over Sora and move on!"

Everyone was silent.

Tai, Xale, and Old Man all looked at Kairi intently.

She was biting her lip. Her anger seemed to have died down.

"I see…"

Selphie hung her head shamefully. "I'm so sorry, Kai!"

Kairi shook her head and gave her a weak smile. "It's ok, Selph. You guys were just worried about me."

For some reason this made them feel even worse.

Suddenly, Kairi grinned. "Oh, and just to tell you. It did NOT work."

Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie sighed in both mock defeat and relief. They were glad that things were back to normal.

Xale smirked.

Old Man smiled.

Tai pouted. "Awww poop. Care to try again?"

Kairi rolled her eyes and smacked him with another pillow.

* * *

After being filled in on what happened the day before, Kairi decided to go to the beach and surf.

She was wearing a white bikini that was kind of like her violet one except it had a pair of silver angel wing on the back of the bottom piece.

She was just about there when she heard a familiar strumming sound.

Curious, she turned the corner and snuck a peak.

There, some meters away in the ocean was Tai, sitting afloat on a surfboard with a acoustic guitar in his arms.

She stood there for a while watching him play and listening tohis song.

It had a light and happy beat to it.

Normally, Kairi would have just walked away right then, but something drew her to him.

She got on her surfboard and paddled up toward him.

He seemed to have seen her first because he stopped playing.

"Well if it isn't my lady knight in all her glory!" He greeted.

She raised a brow at him.

"Aren't you afraid that you might drown again?" She asked.

Tai smirked. "I don't need to worry about that. You'll be there to save me, won't you lady knight?"

Kairi rolled her eyes.

"And what happens when I'm the one in need of saving?" She joked.

Tai stopped smirking and looked her straight in the eye, before replying.

"I'll be there to protect you, of course.'

For a moment, Kairi was at a loss of words.

_That's what Sora and Riku told me. But they haven't been there to protect me. When I almost drowned, Tai was the one who saved me._

Tai looked at her carefully while she was in thought.

Kairi then snapped out of it. "Yeah right. I'm sure you will be." She said sarcastically.

Tai just smiled at her.

Kairi was just about to turn around andleave when Tai stopped her.

"I made you a song."

She blinked up at him. "You what?"

Tai looked at the guitar in his hands. "I made you a song," he repeated.

Kairi didn't know what to say.

_The idiot actually made me a song? Could that mean he actually cares about me?_

She shook her head at the thought.

_Tai? Being sincere? Yeah right._

"Ok, then play it for me."

**(Note: I do not own Crazy For This Girl by Evan and Jaron! I can't really put the whole song in there because won'te allow it! So, dowload it! It's a very cute song!)**

Tai took the guitar into his hands and began playing.

Kairi was transfixed at the melody. It was the same one he had been playing before.

"Would you look at her as she looks at me?"

Kairi stared wide-eyed at him. He was singing. HE WAS SINGING!

_His voice is amazing!_

"She's got me thinking about her constantly, but she don't know how I feel."

Kairi couldn't stop staring at him.

_If he wrote this song for me, does that mean, he really does care? He's joking, right? He's got to be!_

"And as she carries on without a doubt, I wonder if she's figured it out."

Tai locked eyes with her and she was unwillingly mesmerized.

"I'm crazy for this girl."

When she looked into his eyes, she was surprised to see that they weren't deceptive. There was nothing there that was insincere.

_Does he really like me?_

"Yeah, I'm crazy for this girl."

_Or is he just being his usual arrogant, cocky self?_

Kairi never found out, for she paddled away from him so fast, Tai was left floating there staring after her.

When Kairi reached land, she ran with her board to her house as fast as she could possible go.

Tai remained where he was for a couple of more minutes before paddling off to shore.

Upon reaching land, he headed off towards the shack.

When he entered, he was shocked to find Xale and Old Man staring each other down.

They stopped when they caught sight of him.

"We've been waiting for you."

Tai looked from one to another confusingly before fully entering and closing the door behind him.

**

* * *

A/N: Ooooo…what's going to happen?**

**REVIEW!**

Next Chapter: Secrets are revealed, Kairi is still confused, and Tai and Kairi work on their project!

**REVIEW!**

Monkey-woman 108


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Squarenix – Kingdom Hearts; Monkey-woman 108 – nothing, except plot and story.

**To My Motivation, My Inspiration, My REVIEWERS…**

_carbuncle X3 _

_Zarya_

_BlooSkyes_

_evilinupunk_

_Raccoon48_

_rockbeast212_

_Shirozora _

_heartsoblivion_

_Sora's GuardianAngel_

_Princess Kairi_

_thesrazrbladekisses_

_kana_

_LiL aZn DrEaMeR_

_Sweet Raine_

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 8: Secrets, Identities, and Missions

* * *

After Tai entered the room, Xale stood up and started pacing. 

Old Man sighed.

"Ok…what's the deal here?" Tai asked.

"I believe we are all in need of some answers," Old Man replied.

"So who's first?" Tai questioned.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at each other.

"How about YOU, 'Old Man'!" Xale bit out pointing an accusing finger in the elder's direction.

Old Man blinked slowly and tiredly before standing up. "Alright. To start off, my name's not Old Man-"

Tai rolled his eyes. "I think we ALL know that part."

Xale glared in his direction. "No interrupting!"

Tai put his hands up in defense. "Jeez, man! Am I in the line of fire or what?"

Xale ignored him and told Old Man to continue.

"Ok. Well…how do I say this…Wait…I know. Hold on for a second," Old man reached down his shirt and pulled out rose pendant.

He took a few steps away from the others and held it up.

There was a bright greenish light and in the place of Old Man was a younger man with long and spiky silver hair and icy blue eyes.

Xale was silently observed the transformation.

Tai's jaw dropped and he blinked multiple times. "Dude! You're not old!" He exclaimed.

Xale smacked him on the head.

"OUCH!"

"Would you shut up for once?" Xale yelled.

Tai bit back a retort and pouted with his arms crossed on his chest. "Fine."

The silver haired man in front of them smirked lightly at their antics. "Ok. My name is Riku. I was Kairi's best friend 4 years ago, but I was supposedly locked in Kingdom Hearts forever."

Tai and Xale nodded simultaneously.

"King Mickey and I managed to escape and a whole bunch of stuff happened after that. I believe you know part of it don't you Xale?" Riku inquired.

Xale nodded again.

"Well after the whole Naminé deal-" Riku continued but was cut off by Tai.

"Naminé!" Tai cried out. "Is she all right? Where is she? Where did you see her?" Tai demanded.

Riku looked at him in surprise. "She's alright. I don't know where she is now, but the last time I saw her was when she erased Sora's memories…."

Tai nodded with a frown on his face. "I see."

"After all that, I decided to watch over Kairi, but King Mickey said I couldn't go here as myself. It would put Kairi in danger and would bring up too many awkward questions that I don't really want to answer at the moment. So, I had to go in disguise as Old Man."

There was a thoughtful silence.

"My name's Axel," Xale spoke up, "I'm not really a teenager. The truth is, I'm already in my twenties. I'm in an age disguise. 2 years ago, I was sent on a mission by the Organization to retrieve Kairi, on account of her being one of the princess of heart."

Pause.

"I was suppose to be here for only a day or two, but I had an ulterior motive. Someone a while back told me to watch out for her, and that is exactly what I've been doing. But SOMEONE has been making my job a tad bit harder…"

Axel ended at that while glaring pointedly at Tai.

There was another temporary silence in which Tai inevitably broke.

"I'm not Tai," he paused for a dramatic affect, "I'm known as Roxas. I was sent here by the Organization to dispose of Axel, and complete the mission where it was left off. I am supposed to return back to HQ in a months time."

Axel glowered at him. "So they sent you to take care of me, huh?"

Tai didn't answer.

"Well, it's not like you can. A little kid like yourself that is." Axel mocked.

Tai smirked in return. "I don't know about that. I would advise you to not underestimate me."

Axel laughed. "Sure."

He went up to Tai and lifted up his collar. "Listen here kid, I don't care about the Organization, ok? Just stay away from Kairi, and you won't get hurt."

Tai frowned at him and pushed him away. "It's my mission. I have to do what I'm told, all right?"

Axel stared angrily at him. "So all of that flirting, and heroism was just a way to make her fall for you, right? The truth is, you're just a fake, a loser for that matter. You've been lying to her all along."

Roxas scoffed. "Oh! Is that what I am? And what are you? Some righteous godlike creature?"

"You don't even like Kairi, do you?" Axel growled ignoring the previous statement.

Roxas opened his mouth in surprise. Axel went on.

"Well guess what? The feeling's mutual. She doesn't like you, ok? She's in love with Sora."

Roxas was just about to protest, but Axel cut him off.

"I must say though, you're pretty good at acting."

"I _do_ care about her," Roxas mumbled.

What he really wanted to say was that he really cared about her and honestly didn't want her to get hurt. He wanted to tell them that just _maybe_ he really did love her, even if they barely knew each other.

He wanted to get to know her.

Axel snorted. "Yeah…right. Well that doesn't count. Don't you see what you're doing? Sora is out there fighting his butt off to get here and finally be with her."

"Sora…" Roxas whispered.

"They're soul mates, star-crossed lovers, the definition of love itself…" Riku said tiredly.

"I know this is uncharacteristic of me, but they were MEANT TO BE! You're just butting in!" Axel cried out.

He turned to Riku. "How come you're letting this happen? Sora and Kairi are YOUR best friends. He's only going to end up hurting her!"

Riku sighed. "I know love when I see love, and I know that Sora loves her. He always has, and I admit that I did too once. But I've learned to let go, to let HER go."

He cast his eyes toward the floor. "Maybe, Roxas is lying and maybe he's not. I don't think that he even knows himself. It doesn't really matter though does it? In the end, it'll all going to be up to Kairi."

He looked up at Roxas and studied him with a scrutinizing gaze. "It's not up to us whether or not she gets to be with someone. Although, I admit, I have tried countless times in vain."

"I just have to ask, though," Riku continued staring at Roxas, "If she chooses you, do you think it will be out of true love or is she just trying to find a replacement for the person she is really waiting for?"

Roxas cringed.

"I don't know," he replied sadly.

He glared at the ground and clenched his fist. "I don't know," he repeated, "But I'm tired of always being in Sora's shadow. Everyone, even in the Organization, tells me that I'm just substituting for Sora until he comes back from who knows where!"

He marched up to the door and yanked it open. "And I wonder, when he does come back, if he does come back, will I just be cast aside? Will they tell me that they don't need me anymore? That I just wasn't as good as the original, the brave, and courageous Keyblade Wielder?"

He turned back to them. "I honestly don't know. I don't know if I'm good enough, I don't know if I'll complete my mission, I don't know if I love her or if I even can."

Roxas walked out of the shack, guitar in hand, and headed toward his own home.

He decided that he was going to take a long, nice bath and a much needed nap.

It was tiring being someone you're not.

_

* * *

Next day…_

Roxas went to school the next day tired, but wore a light grin on his face as usual.

He picked out Kairi instantly from the crowd of students in the hallway. She had a way of standing out, even if she didn't want to.

He ran up to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, honey!"

Kairi growled and shoved it off. "Don't call me honey."

"Baby?"

She glared at him.

"Sweetheart?"

She clenched her fist.

He went on, not noticing her anger. "You know, that's actually kind of cute! Honey, baby, sweetheart."

Kairi frowned. "It won't be so cute when those words end up being your end" she muttered.

Roxas blinked. "Now what could you possibly mean by that?"

"It makes you really wonder, huh?" Kairi said sarcastically.

He shrugged. "I can't very well die."

Kairi looked up at him with a raised brow. "And why not?"

He grinned foxily at her and put his arm around her again. "Because you're my lady in shining armor! You love me too much to let anything bad happen to me."

Kairi rolled her eyes and shoved him off. She marched up ahead of him and entered the classroom before he did and slammed the door behind her.

Roxas grinned; his mood was definitely getting better.

He was just about to open the classroom door when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He looked up to see a frowning Axel.

"I bet you're having fun."

"Yep! I am." Roxas answered truthfully. He really didn't want to deal with him at the moment.

Axel continued to frown. "Ok, look. I'm not at all ok with you being here and so near to Kairi. So, just promise me one thing alright?"

Tai blinked. "Just to let you know, I don't make promises I don't intend on keeping."

Axel shook his head. "I'm forced to believe that some part of you actually does care about her well being, and if this possibility is true, just hear me out," Axel said.

Tai narrowed his eyes lightly, but remained silent.

"I want you to let go of your selfish infatuation with her. She'll only end up getting hurt more if she's emotionally attached to you."

Tai slightly nodded his head and Axel walked off

But before turning the corner, Axel turned around and gave him a hard stare. "I don't want to see her crying over you."

Tai looked down.

_I don't want to hurt her. But I don't want to stay away from her either. Is ignoring my feelings for her really the only way I can protect her?_

He entered the classroom and took a seat next to Kairi who was listening to her CD player. She was doing her best to ignore him, and all he could do was watch her.

He felt himself smile as she leaned back in her chair while moving her head along with a beat that only she could hear.

_What are you protecting her from?_ A voice in his head asked.

He thought back to his mission and the Organization and frowned.

_Myself. _He answered. _I'm protecting her from myself._

_Is she worth it? _It asked again.

He watched her bite her lip in concentration as she tapped her pencil on her desk thoughtfully.

_Definitely_

**

* * *

A/N: SORRY FOR THE LONG UPDATE!**

**THEME SONG: OUT OF MY LEAGUE BY STEPHEN SPEAKS**

_Listen to it! I think I like this one better than Crazy for This Girl._

_**REVIEW!**_

Oh! And they'll be working on their project NEXT chapter…

Monkey-woman 108


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: …Laughs…

**NOTE: **I'm sorry for the long update. I've got no excuses either…. AHHH! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!

**THEME SONG: OUT OF MY LEAGUE BY STEPHEN SPEAKS**

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 9: Of Blitzballs and Closets

* * *

"IT'S FRIDAY!" Tidus shouted out and grabbed Selphie by the waist and twirling her around in the air.

She cried out in delight and joined him in 'whooping'.

Kairi grinned at the pair as she walked along side Xale. _They're just too cute._

"What are you guys doing today, ya?" Wakka asked. His new girlfriend, Lulu was next to him silently walking along with us.

"The idiot and I are working on our project. You guys want to help?" Kairi asked. "I'm meeting him now, actually."

The others shrugged and followed her to the beach.

It took a while, but they finally found him hiding cowardly behind a cluster of coconut trees.

"Tai, what the heck are you doing?" Kairi asked exasperated.

He peeked out of his hiding place. "I never knew girls were so crazy! They're flippin' nuts, man! I swear some of them were trying to RAPE me!"

Selphie looked back at the mob of girls with cameras and whips. "Hun, you don't even know HALF of it."

Kairi laughed at his predicament. "Come on guys, we're doing this at my place. There's more room, anyhow."

They trudged down the path to her house, which was the biggest on the island, on account of her 'father' being the mayor of the place.

Kairi glanced to her left at the blonde who was uncharacteristically silent and wondered why he wasn't hitting on her.

_Maybe he's just mentally scarred by an encounter with his rabid fan girls._

She blinked at her curiosity. _Why do I even care?_

Sighing in confusion she walked ahead when they reached the front door and opened it with her key.

"Welcome to my humble abode, guys!"

Roxas's jaw dropped as he entered and viewed the inside of the house. It was HUGE.

Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, and Xale brushed past him having seeing it all before. Lulu didn't really think much about it as she entered and followed closely behind the others.

"Put your back-packs in the closet over there," Kairi informed them. They did as they were told.

The blonde looked around in awe as he tried his best to keep up with them. There were so many shiny things. If only he could touch one…

"Tai! Stay away from the furniture!" Kairi called out from far ahead of him.

He pouted but obeyed and walked down the hall and into the living room where the others were already seated on the couch.

"I wasn't going to break anything…" He stated as he took a seat on one of the plush one-seated couches.

Kairi rolled her eyes at him. "Forgive me if I don't trust you that much."

Roxas grinned. "I forgive you, Kai!"

"Don't call me that!" She snapped as she went across the room and into the kitchen to get everyone drinks. "Water, everyone?"

The teenagers all nodded in reply.

After getting the drinks, and seating herself down, Kairi began to talk of the project. "Ok, people, Tai and I," Roxas waved at them, "…are doing a project on…Kingdom Hearts."

Tidus and Wakka froze, Selphie spat out her water, Xale narrowed his eyes at Roxas, and Lulu raised a brow.

"WHAT!"

Kairi sighed, already knowing what their reactions would be. "We thought it would be interesting…"

"It IS interesting, but that's NOT the point!" Tidus bit out.

"YEAH! I mean…this is…Kingdom Hearts, and well, won't that be…I don't know…WEIRD?" Selphie stuttered.

Roxas looked at them all innocently. "Why is that?" Axel looked at him from across the room withan uncertaingaze.

"Err…Nothing, ya?" Wakka replied nervously. Tidus and Selphie bobbed their heads up and down. "No. Nothing at all."

Kairi bit her lip. "ANYWAYS…I am choosing roles…We'll have different roles for every person." She furrowed her eyebrows. _How am I supposed to give out the characters to the REAL PEOPLE?_

"I will be…Raiki…one of the main roles. She and her two best friends plan on traveling to different worlds…"

"Your first rolls will be…"

"Umm…Selphie you are…uhh…Hop-Scotch, a 14 year old girl who fights with a jump rope."

Selphie giggled slightly at her new name and nodded happily. "Never thought I'd get THAT part…"

"Tidus you are…err…" Kairi looked at his hair, "…Spike! A 15-year-old boy who fights with a wooden sword."

Tidus scratched his head when hearing his new identity. "But aren't I already-" Kairi glared in his direction. "…Never mind…"

"Wakka you will be…" _What rhymes with Wakka? What rhymes with WAKKA? _"…Quakka…another 15 year old boy who fights with a blitz ball."

Wakka frowned as Lulu laughed to herself. "Quakka, eh?"

Kairi turned to the remaining 3. "Lulu, do you mind being a bad guy…girl? Not that you are one or anything, but you just have the bad girl 'look', you know?"

Lulu stared down at her gothic attire and shrugged. "I guess I could play the part."

Kairi smiled. "Okay! Then, you are Maleficent, an evil sorcerer who plans on controlling all the darkness, and stealing the hearts of people everywhere!"

Lulu nodded.

"Xale…you can be…" Kairi closed her eyes and sighed, "…you can be Riku. He plans on going to different worlds with Raiki. He joins forces with Maleficent, but doesn't truly turn evil." SheHATED making the character descriptions so blunt and full of half-truths.

Axel smirked as he heard this. "Sure, why not?"

Kairi's eyes widened as she got to the final role. "That leaves…"

Selphie gasped. "But doesn't that make Tai…?"

Roxas looked up when he heard his alias name being called and realized what was going on. He would be playing the part of…

Kairi looked troubled. She refused to give the part of the person most special to her to an idiot like Tai, but something was telling her that he was meant for the part.

The part as the Keyblade Wielder…

…The part of Sora…

She reluctantly followed her instincts. "Tai...that leaves you to be the main character, Sora, the wielder of the Keyblade. You are the hero of the story. You are searching for your lost friends…"

Roxas played his part as the oblivious idiot and grinned as he was given the part, but on the inside he was laughing cynically to himself.

_Of course, I play the part of Sora. Lucky me. I must be pretty good at playing his replacement._

Kairi glared at the ground and tried to sort out her feelings.

_Would Sora be…disappointed that this look-alike idiot was playing his part_?

"Well, let's get started yall!" Selphie cried happily.

_Oh dear…_

* * *

3 Hours Into Reversal… 

"…The blitz ball CAN'T be a moogle, Tai!" Kairi shouted at the blonde angrily.

Roxas held up the ball that was messily painted pink with black dots for eyes. "Why not?" He whined, "It fits the description perfectly!"

"It's a blitz ball!"

"So?"

Kairi growled in frustration. "Moogles are half bat, halfpig, and half...something. OH! I don't know! FINE! Just get on with it will you?"

Roxas grinned in success and proceeded to act his part. "Can you tell me where we are, Mr. Moogle?" He asked the blitz ball goofily.

That 'moogle' stared back at him with dripping black painted eyes. _Silence…_

Roxas moved the ball up and down to make the impression that it was speaking. "Oh! You're in Traverse Town!" He muttered in a high squeaky voice under his breath.

Axel smacked his head with his hand.

Tidus had to stuff a pillow in his face to stop from laughing out loud, as did Wakka.

"You have much experience with this, Tai. Makes me wonder if you've played with any dolls recently," Tidus snickered. Wakka couldn't hold it in anymore and fell off the couch in laughter.

"I will neither deny or confirm that accusation."

"Didn't think you would, Tai. Didn't think you would." Tidus shook his head.

Selphie came out of nowhere with a piece of paper saying Scene 10.

Roxas held up his makeshift Keyblade, a mop. "Take that!" He struck a group of 'heartless', a bunch of stuffed animals.

Axel, who was playing Squall for the moment, was wearing a brown wig on his head while also striking stuffed animals down with his 'gunblade', a broom.

Wakka was playing Goofy, and was running into the 'heartless' with a pillow, which was posing as a shield. Every time he said 'Hyuck' Tidus would crack up. He was doing his best to play a temperamental duck while casting spells, none of which were actually real.

"Go, Fire, go, Fire, GO!"

Kairi had just grabbed a camera from her room and was videotaping. _This is too great. I can't believe I have this on camera._

Wakka accidentally ran into Tidus with his pillow. The duck impersonator rammed into Axel who crashed into Roxas.

Selphie was laughing hard on one of the couches, as was Kairi.

Axel got up first, glared at the guys on the floor, and brushed himself off. "You guysare a bunch of clumsy dim-wits."

Roxas reached out a hand from the dog pile. "Somebody…HELP ME! Tidus' foot is in my-"

"TAI! You just totally hit me with your retarded mop!" Wakka cried helplessly from the ground.

"I'M SORRY! But I can't control where my mop hits!" Roxas snapped.

"…Selphie," Tidus whined with wide eyes, "…Can you help me, please?"

Selphie looked down at him and cooed. "You poor thing. Of course I will." She grabbed Tidus' hand and lifted him up.

Kairi pouted. "Aww! We could have left them there a little longer you know."

Axel came up behind her with a smirk. "I wouldn't have minded." He discarded his wig to the floor. "Might have been amusing."

Selphie shrugged and stuck her tongue out at them. "I can't leave poor Tidus on the ground with two guys stacked up on top of him."

Kairi grinned foxily. "You hear that, Tidus? She couldn't leave poor you on the ground. How sweet."

Tidus blushed. "You best shut it, Kairi," He muttered.

Wakka sat up. "I'm tired, ya? Let's continue this later?"

Everyone nodded and went to the front door, grabbing their backpacks on the way.

"Come back tomorrow at around 5, alright guys?" Kairi said at the door as everyone left.

"Alright," they agreed.

Kairi watched at the door as they left and noticed something was wrong. _Oh, crap…where the heck is, Tai!_

She looked around the room, but he was nowhere to be seen. _Maybe I just missed him…yeah that's probably it._

She went upstairs to her room to take a nap.

* * *

**4 Hours later…Midnight…**

The front door opened and in came the mayor and his wife.

"Kairi! We're home!"

Kairi walked sleepily out of her room in a pair of short pink shorts and tank top. "Welcome back…" she muttered.

She went down the stairs. "Where'd you guys go this time?" She asked trying to make conversation.

The mayor's wife gasped. "Oh! Well we went to this wonderful party down-"

Kairi tuned her out and went to the closet to get her backpack. Might as well work on some homework while she was up.

She opened the closet door and screamed when she saw a pair of cerulean eyes staring feebly at her.

"OH MY GOD!"

She took a few steps back and saw blonde hair. "Tai…is that YOU!"

The mayor turned to look at his adopted daughter. "What is it Kairi?"

Kairi quickly shut the door and pressed her back against it. "It's-uhh…nothing, I just…really liked your story…" She nodded assuringly.

The mayor raised a brow but said nothing else. They went upstairs to their room.

Kairi waited until she heard them close the door before she opened the closet. Roxas fell out in a heap on the floor.

He looked practically unconscious.

"Tai? Tai, are you okay?" Kairi asked trying not to sound worried.

He blinked and looked up at her.

"Can you not speak?"

"Wa-water…" he croaked.

Kairi ran into the kitchen and poured him a glass. Roxas slowly followed behind. He drank down the glass in a hurry.

He sighed in content when he was done, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Meanwhile, Kairi finally got over the shock of finding him in the closet. THE CLOSET!

_Jeez, what is the world coming to? Finding guys in closets…_

Roxas stretched happily. His back was killing him…

"WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU DOING IN MY CLOSET!"

_Err…_

Roxas grinned sheepishly. "Well…umm, you see, it's quite a story…Ahahaha…"

Kairi narrowed her eyes. As you can see, she was NOT amused.

"Talk."

"…Can I have another glass of water first?" He asked fearfully holding his empty glass up to her.

Kairi growled and pushed it back. "TALK."

"…But…it's embarrassing..."

"Does it look like I care?"

"…Yes?"

"The correct answer was no. Now, TALK!"

"…I …kind of got…locked in your closet…" Roxas stuttered.

Silence.

He gulped. "…You know…when I was getting my backpack?"

Still no answer.

He looked at her shamefully. "….I'm-"

"HAHAHA!" Kairi couldn't hold it in any longer. Tai…stuck…closet…IDIOT!

Roxas pouted. "It's not funny!"

Kairi snorted. "HECK YES IT IS! YOU! Mr. I-am-so-heroic-look-at-me got locked…in a CLOSET! How is that NOT funny?" She burst into another laughing fit.

"I COULD HAVE DIED IN THERE!" Roxas shouted with eyes wide.

That only made her laugh harder.

Roxas moped. _Wow…aren't I smooth? I can't believe I was locked in a closet…KAIRI'S CLOSET!_

Suddenly, there was a loud _'CRASH' _of a door being opened. "WHO'S THERE!"

It was the mayor. Kairi panicked and grabbed Roxas by the arm and ran to the closet in which he was locked in before.

Roxas's mouth was agape. "Kairi not here-!"

She didn't bother to listen as she shoved him and herself in and shut the door.

The mayor ran down the stairs and looked around, bat raised. He saw no one and heard nothing. He gave the house a scrutinizing gaze before walking back up the steps and into his room.

Kairi sighed in relief. _That was close…_

She reached for the doorknob and tried opening it. It wouldn't budge.

Kairi's eyes widened. _No…way…_She tried again and again but to no avail.

Roxas was banging his head against the wall repeatedly. _NOT AGAIN!_

…_Crap…_

* * *

**A/N: Oh dear, how will Kairi cope with being locked in a closet with our poor little Roxas? FIND OUT!**

_**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**_

Monkey-woman 108


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